Departure Gate a short story by Justin Tuijl

“Ok, I’ll have a tea,” said the
girl. She took off her coat and hung it on the back of the chair.

For a minute neither moved as the flight announcement came
over the Tannoy. The man listened.

“Huh, half an hour delay.”

“Yeah.” she said and sat down
looking at the table.

Once he had walked away she looked up again. In the main
hall people were purposefully heading to the e-ticket machines with their
suitcases on wheels. There were many business people sitting in the café on
laptops but the que was short. The man waited in the que checking his change. When
he returned with two cardboard cups she was looking at the table again.

“Do you have to go?” she said,
shifting on the hard seat.

With a shaking hand the man put down the cups and before
sitting down returned the change to his coat pocket.

“Daylight robbery that coffee.”

“You know they can do amazing
things these days, you know, doctors and that.”

“I put some milk in your tea,
hope that’s ok.”

The girl looked down and touched her eyes with her fingers.

“Yeah, fine,” she said.

He sipped at the hot coffee carefully and put it down again.
Then he pulled the coat around himself and shivered a little.

“Are you cold?”

“Oh no, I’m fine.”

“Probably because you are so
thin.”

“It’s better on the other side of
customs I think,” he said, motioning to the cup.

They were silent for several minutes. The man starred at the
flight departures screen and the girl at the table.

“It’s good though isn’t it?” she said.

“Yes, I’m not complaining. I need
to stock up anyway.”

“How long now?”

“What? Oh, the flight? Still
delayed.”

“Ah.”

“Have you ever been in this
airport?”

“No.”

“Me neither. Shame I didn’t get
an e-ticket, I could have gone through the gate.”

“Well then I’d have just have had
to go straight home.”

They both drank from their cups at the same time. The sound of
people filled everything. The girl looked up at the departures screen, the busy
hall and the full café.

“Getting
busy,” said the man, “probably more delays.”

“It’s so
claustrophobic in here. All these business people on computers.”

“I know.”

“Mum said
hello by the way.”

“Oh did
she?”

“I told her
I was coming.”

“I’m quite
surprised.”

“Well,
things are different now.”

“Yes, they
are, I suppose, very different.”

“You could
stay you know.”

“Oh, I
think everything that can be done has been done.”

“But,
there’s always a hope isn’t there?”

“I don’t
think there really is anymore. One has to say enough is enough.”

This is no boast but I love my stereo. Having a good stereo is the
centre of my life and my only essential possession for someone who is
not really into possessions.

Early days

I started my stereo life with a radio my Grandad gave me. Then I got my
Dad's old setup (record deck and Sinclair System 2000 compact amp) which I added
another one of my Grandads radio's to.

My Dad's amp was like this only black:

The Pioneer compact hi-fi

When I got a proper job I was able to start saving for something better
and I bought a Pioneer compact Hi-fi which after a time I really started
to hate. The Pioneer quality was lacking from this unit and really a
lot of it was for show, like the twin display spectrum analyser. I hated
the way the cassette and cd decks clunked about. Many things frustrated
me with it, like th…

Now I have a 24" monitor on my laptop I find that the £5 keyboard is really not up to it. Hence the Dell KB522 Wired Business Multimedia Keyboard. Very nice. I have started my degree in Creative and Professional Wiring this year and think I have a lot of typing ahead, hence the keyboard. It was only once I got this I realised how hard I had to hit the keys on the old one, as first of all with this one it hurt I was hitting them so hard. Pretty much sorted on the computer front now. I bought Dell hoping for longevity from this item. I don't like to buy new stuff all the time from an environmental standpoint.